MURDER BALLAD, BAD JEWS & More Set for Actor's Express' 2014-15 Season

Actor's Express, Atlanta's cutting-edge theatre located in West Midtown, has announced its 27th season of gripping programming. Next season's lineup is full of compelling theatre, as Actor's Express is famous for delivering. The season is a mix of classic and contemporary work, and innovative and fresh new voices. The slate: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Murder Ballad, Bad Jews, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, and The Whale. The company will also produce The Rocky Horror Show this summer, marking the return of summer programming to the Express.

"The 2014-15 season at Actor's Express is one of the most ambitious and artistically diverse lineups we've ever assembled. Each of the plays offers audiences a meaningful experience that they won't find anywhere else," says Freddie Ashley, entering his eighth season as Artistic Director. "We've really focused on some of the most exciting voices in the American theatre and believe the work will resonate with our audiences on emotional, intellectual and visceral levels."

The Rocky Horror Show, the hilarious tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of 1940s through the 1970s, tells the story of a newly engaged couple who, caught in a storm, wind up at the home of a mad transvestite scientist and his new creation, Rocky Horror. The show runs July 10 through August 9, and promises to delight, terrify and make patrons quiver with anticipation. Tickets are on sale now.

Season 27 kicks off on September 6 with the multi-Tony Award nominee, lush period piece, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Christopher Hampton, adapted from the 1782 novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Opening on November 8 is the innovative, mysterious, pulse-pounding musical, Murder Ballad, with conception, book and lyrics by Julia Jordan, and music and lyrics by Juliana Nash. After the holidays, opening on January 24, Actor's Express will present the highly acclaimed, biting comedy, Bad Jews, by Joshua Harmon, written during his Playwright-in-Residence at Actor's Express during the 2010-11 season. Spring 2015 brings a March 28 opening of Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet by Tarell Alvin McCraney, one of the greatest new American voices, and the third in his trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays. The 2014-15 season closes with the touching and rich play, The Whale, by Samuel D. Hunter, one of the hottest young playwrights in the country, and The Whale at the Express is the first Atlanta production of his work.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses By Christopher Hampton (based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos)
Directed by Melissa Foulger
September 6 - October 5 (Previews September 4-5)

Two rivals and ex-lovers play a dangerous game of sexual conquest in pre-revolution France. The intrigue mounts as they trample innocent hearts in their wake. Based on the scandalous 1782 novel and later adapted into an Oscar-winning film, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a stunning slow burn of carnal scheming. This modern classic scorches the stage in a daring new production from the director of Pluto and Wolves.

Murder Ballad
Conceived and with Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan; Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash
Directed by Freddie Ashley
November 8 - December 7, 2014 (Previews November 6-7)

A sultry singer takes the stage in a seedy downtown bar, singing a story of "true love gone awry". She spins a lurid tale of lust and murder that unfolds against the backdrop of an unforgettable rock-and-roll score. Full of pulse-pounding plot twists, Murder Ballad will keep you guessing until its breathless final moments.

Bad Jews
By Joshua Harmon
Directed by Freddie Ashley
January 24 - February 23 (Previews January 22-23)

Daphna Feygenbaum is a "real Jew." Her cousin Liam is a self-described "bad Jew," complete with a shiksa girlfriend. When the two arrive in New York for their grandfather's funeral, they instantly lock horns in a savagely funny battle royale over a cherished family artifact. Written and developed by Joshua Harmon during his 2011 playwriting residency at Actor's Express, Bad Jews became one of the most acclaimed comedies of the New York theatre season.

Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet
By Tarell Alvin McCraney
Directed by Karen Robinson
March 28 - April 26, 2015 (Previews March 26-27)

As an epic storm gathers in the distance, the currents of young Marcus' life swirl toward a passage of self-discovery. As Marcus comes to grips with his own burgeoning sexual identity, he must look to the secrets of his family's past to understand his future. From the staggeringly talented playwright of Choir Boy and In the Red and Brown Water.

The Whale
By Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Heidi Cline McKerley
Starring Artistic Director Freddie Ashley
May 17 - June 15, 2014 (Previews May 15-16)

At six hundred pounds, Charlie has hidden himself away in his small apartment. Isolated and hungering for redemption, he desperately tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter before it's too late. As he eats his way into oblivion, his life intersects with a lonely nurse and a mysterious young Mormon missionary, who all seek grace and human connection - and discover that beauty and kindness come in unexpected forms.

Season subscriptions are on sale now online at www.actors-express.com or by calling the box office at 404-607-7496(SHOW). THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW tickets are also on sale online, at the box office or by phone.

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